


I will watch the world burn without you

by MordorIsCalling



Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Crime AU, Feels, M/M, Singer!Jaskier, Songfic, but not exactly bad??, lots of feels, mob boss!Geralt, no beta we are feral like Jaskier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:49:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24473062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MordorIsCalling/pseuds/MordorIsCalling
Summary: Geralt looks into his Songbird’s beautiful eyes, and they’re glistening with unshed tears. “Jaskier –” he begins.Jaskier cuts him off with a gentle kiss that doesn’t last long enough. Geralt leans in, demanding more, but Jaskier stops him by laying a hand on his chest. “Just,” he rasps, “just stay safe.”
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 14
Kudos: 162





	I will watch the world burn without you

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [velvet and steel](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24340087) by [balladofwolves](https://archiveofourown.org/users/balladofwolves/pseuds/balladofwolves). 



> Me to me: you have three WIPs and a BA to write, please don't start another fic, _please don't start another -_
> 
> *Sigh*
> 
> Anyway, this is the first time I've actually written a songfic. I'm kinda nervous about it but when I heard the song "Without You" by Ursine Vulpine & Annaca I just... had to. The song is so _beautiful_ and it hits right in the Geraskier feels. I'll link it below, please please please listen to it if you can. 
> 
> This fic is set in the universe created by marvelousmaize in their story "velvet and steel". It's a modern AU in which there are still witchers, mages and non-humans. Geralt is a mob boss, he and his pack run a crime organisation called the Order of the Wolf. This Order of witchers (and not only them) has a strong influence over the Continent. The members of the Order reside in the manor in Kaer Morhen, a city in which all non-humans enjoy the Order's protection. Jaskier is a part-elf singer who pisses of Queen Calanthe and ends up under the White Wolf's protection as well... and the rest is history. :> I definitely recommend reading the fic if you haven't! :D My own fic is set some time after the events in "velvet and steel". 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! :3

["Without You" by Ursine Vulpine & Annaca](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyO1q52WLzw)

* * *

After checking his armour and weapons for the last time, he starts heading out of the manor. It’s now oddly quiet here, with most of his people outside readying themselves for the worst. The silence allows sounds to carry well and when he’s close to leaving the building, his sensitive ears catch a slow piano melody coming from the music room, which makes him stop in his tracks. His instincts begin screaming _go to him, go to him_ , but his reason makes him stay where he is. All his thoughts are soon brought to a grinding halt, though, because he hears Jaskier’s beautiful voice, low and mournful. 

_If it's gonna get violent tonight_ _  
Tell me you're gonna be alright  
You're gonna be_

Geralt cannot move, only listens, and each note, overflowing with Jaskier's pain, makes his heart twist _._

_It's an eye for an eye and I don't know if I  
Want you to fight, want you to fight_

After this verse, Jaskier pitches his voice higher, in a way helplessly pleading.

 _I'm losing my mind_ _  
Don't leave me behind  
We need a bit more time_

His throat tightens and he has to swallow hard, trying not to think of his desire for more time with his Lark, just some more time before all hell breaks loose. Time which they don't have, not anymore.

Jaskier sings on, more loudly now.

 _'Cause I don't want the world to turn without you_ _  
And I don't want the sun to burn without you  
_

His voice is so vulnerable that it almost breaks, so full of heartbreak that Geralt almost tastes salt on his lips. He continues to fight every inch of himself not to go to Jaskier. He _knows_ he shouldn’t step into the music room; if he does, he may not be able to let Jaskier go. That's why he didn't really say goodbye after their last night. He held Jaskier and breathed in his scent, waiting for his Songbird to finally fall asleep. Then he left. 

_Yeah, I don't want the world to turn without you  
And I don't want the sun to burn without you_

Geralt should _not_ go to him. If he goes, this will be even _harder,_ for both of them. What is he to do, though, when his Lark sings with so much heartache?

He walks briskly, almost runs, and when he finally stands in the doorway of the room, he sees Jaskier sitting by the black piano, cast in the afternoon light. His eyes are closed, as they always are when he loses himself in music, and he sways slightly to the melody he plays. When he opens his mouth, his voice is again pitched low, and it enchants Geralt even more than usual.

 _You don't have to be the brave one every time_ _  
I know you wanna make it right  
You wanna make  
It's a lie for a lie and I'm getting tired  
On the other side, on the other side_

Geralt is tired too. He’s tired of being the brave one, indeed. Tired of fucking Nilfgaard and fucking _Calanthe_ , who demanded to be allowed to see her granddaughter and invited Geralt to negotiate this issue in Nilfgaard. A neutral ground, she claimed, but it’s a trap as clear as day. Geralt must go there, he soon will, taking only a few of his pack with him, and if they are attacked, their mages will portal most of the witchers there to help them. The Order is prepared for battle.

A battle from which Geralt and many of his people might not return. 

Jaskier’s been half crazy with worry ever since this became apparent.

 _I'm losing my mind_ _  
Don't leave me behind  
We need a bit more time  
Can you hear my cry?  
An old lullaby  
Drifting through the sky_

Geralt almost growls because he _hears_ ; he hears how much Jaskier is hurting. If Geralt could, he would never leave him behind, it would never come to this. Geralt must go, though, and Jaskier must stay, safe within the walls of the manor. It’s safety and it's also a cage, Geralt knows. A cage that won't save him from his fear for Geralt, making him sing his heart and worry out. 

_'Cause I don't want the world to turn without you_ _  
And I don't want the sun to burn without you  
Yeah, I don't want the world to turn without you  
And I don't want the sun to burn without you_

Jaskier sings the chorus two times, and to Geralt's ears, his voice is the most beautiful music by itself, loud and crystal clear, arresting in the pain seeping from in between the sounds. 

The song then enters a faster pace and Jaskier sings the next verse more quickly, like a rushed suggestion you make when a sudden, hopeful surge of courage hits you. 

_So won't you...  
Hold me now_ _  
Hold me like I never did anything to hurt you  
Don't let go  
Give me another minute to lay here in your echo_

Geralt's eyes begin to sting. There is so little he could ever deny his Lark, and _this,_ this he dreams of too. Just a minute to forgive him everything again, even though there isn't much to begin with after the three years they've been together, Just a minute to fall in love with him again, to once more live through what they share. 

The rapid piano music continues, the song clearly reaching the culmination, and Jaskier sings on, on the top of his lungs now. His voice is so raw, resonating so deeply with his desperation, that it actually wavers a few times. 

_I don't want the world to turn without you_ _  
And I don't want the sun to burn without you  
Yeah, I don't want the world to turn without you  
And I don't want the sun to burn without you_

The melody begins to slow down. Jaskier breathes heavily, shakily, and when he sings again, it’s a quiet, broken sound, hopeful no more. 

_I don't want to live a life without you_ _  
I will watch the world burn without you_

After the last line, Jaskier plays just a few more notes and then silence falls in the room. His eyes are finally open but he doesn’t look up. He must be aware of Geralt's presence, he always is, but he still doesn't even glance at him.

The sight of Jaskier like this, drained and defeated, spurs Geralt's protective instincts on. He feels a powerful urge to comfort Jaskier and tell him that he won't _ever_ have to live without Geralt, but the silence is too heavy to break through. It weighs down on him too much, even when he tries to put all his witcher strength into opening his heart. And so, he only manages a hoarse, meaningless whisper of “this is a beautiful song.”

Jaskier’s shoulders sag but he refuses to look up from the piano. With a sigh, Geralt goes to sit next to him and cups Jaskier’s cheek in his hand, turning Jaskier's head to the side so that he can press their foreheads against each other. Geralt then looks into his Songbird’s beautiful eyes, and they’re glistening with unshed tears. “Jaskier –” he begins.

Jaskier cuts him off with a gentle kiss that doesn’t last long enough. Geralt leans in, demanding more, but Jaskier stops him by laying a hand on his chest. “Just,” he rasps, “just stay safe.”

“I _will_ be back,” Geralt breathes out against Jaskier’s lips. Jaskier doesn’t say anything, only nods, so Geralt kisses him, and it’s a desperate apology.

Later, it turns out that he will not return for a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> Please consider sharing your thoughts with me! <3
> 
> (btw, I can so imagine Batey singing this OHMYGOD)


End file.
